Savagery
by Ennya
Summary: Somewhere the rest of our crew slept soundly, while Admiral Marcus used me to control my captain. KhanXOFC. STID Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Khan or anything pertaining to Star Trek. Writing this for my own enjoyment.

**A/N: **I was _so _mesmerized by the dynamics in Khan's character in STID. This is something I'm kinda playing with. Let me know what you think!

* * *

**Savagery**

**Chapter One**

**/**

I don't know who they were or what they wanted. All I know is they woke me up.

They woke me up, cleaned me up, gave me clothes, fluids, performed some tests, medical and cognitive alike, and then they put me in a holding cell for "observations," or so they said. The after effects of the cryo sleep kept me sluggish and quiet. The cell was dark, they said, so I could sleep off the lingering effects. But sleep was the last thing I wanted.

I was alone for a few hours, sitting in the corner staring at my toes, my fingernails, running the flat of my palms against the smooth, cold plastic of the cell floor, letting my eyes take in the dark now that my mind wasn't plagued with cryo dreams. The blackness was welcome. I could think again.

But soon I could hear marching footsteps making their way into the observation deck, a few pairs of them, though I couldn't quite detect how many. I looked through the thick glass as three officers came in, darkly uniformed and stoic as I've ever seen. I thought for a moment they were going to pass right through, make their way towards another one of the holding cells, perhaps, but then they stopped, right in front of mine. I got up slowly and stood to attention; I figured they'd come to tell me where I was and why I'd been awakened. Had the rest of the crew been awakened too? If so, where were they?

Then came two more officers, accompanying...

Khan.

Captain Khan.

He stood before the glass and I knew then that he couldn't see me in the dark. A gasp fell over my lips as I felt my heart leap into my throat and flutter at the sight of him.

And then the lights came on.

I watched the shock catch in his face when he saw me. His massive eyes widened, shockingly blue in the artificial light, and his finely shaped lips fell open just slightly in awe. I smiled. I smiled so widely. The last I'd seen him, he was putting in the sequencing codes for our cryogenic tubes. We'd been unsure of the future, scared even, but there he was and suddenly all doubts, all worries about where I was and what was going on were quieted and resolved, as though he had told reassured me in his own words.

He stood with the same prestige that so often filled me with admiration when we were crew members, years ago, in the days before the sleep. Still so powerful, a pillar of obsidian with his black hair and dark clothing, and in that moment, though he was my captain and I ranked well beneath him, I wanted nothing more than to run to him, throw my arms around him and hug him. Captain Khan. It was against protocol and I knew it, but I didn't care. Right then I was so happy to see him.

I walked forward to speak to him, completely disregarding the gaze of all the other officers standing witness to our exchange of recognition. Khan stood frozen, staring at me, as if he couldn't believe I was really there, as if he thought he was seeing a ghost. The expression slowed my steps and I could feel my smile melt into a frown. Why wasn't he as happy to see me as I was to see him?

It was then that it more or less hit me: I was in a holding cell but Khan wasn't. Why?

I took a moment to look at the officers standing around and looking in on me through the glass, not saying a word or moving a muscle. It filled me with suspicion, and I looked to Khan for answers and saw fear in his eyes, fear overpowering the shock. It frightened me; I'd never seen fear in his eyes before. He was always so put together, so competent, Khan the Captain, careful not to let his emotions show, careful to always stay strong for us.

But now his strong jaw shook, and his eyes gleamed.

Somewhere beyond my visage in the far corner of the room, a door opened. "Admiral present!" Someone announced as sharp, purposeful footsteps sounded across the room. I looked and watched as an older man, dressed in fine military garb with great prestige in his strides and his air, approached. He went towards Khan and then looked at me, looking as though he might snort, and the moment I met his cold blue gaze I frowned and shifted my weight back.

Something was not right.

"Well," said the admiral, looking me over for a split second before turning to Khan. "Are you satisfied?"

I watched Khan's jaw tense and the hands at his sides ball into fists. I took a step back. I'd seen Khan really angry before, it was a scary thing to behold, and I could see the ire burning in his eyes, ire and hate for this man. But he didn't respond. I could see he didn't trust himself to respond.

I looked between them; I knew this man meant trouble, this admiral of whatever, whoever he was. The others in the room watched the exchange tentatively but intently.

That was when I noticed the two men standing behind Khan were both armed with phasers. They weren't standing idly by; they were escorting him.

I felt panic rise up in my chest. I took a step forward to get Khan's attention, and indeed the movement drew his eye. But he lowered his chin and narrowed his eyes to me, and I could see the order in his gaze: **stop**, or something bad would happen.

"I hope now," said the admiral, turning his gaze to me and regarding me with discern. "We can come to some kind of understanding."

Khan didn't respond. I could see his shoulders rise and fall; he was heaving. Once again he turned his eyes to me and though his expression lifted slightly, I could see he was conflicted. I stared between him and the admiral, wondering what kind of arrangement they could have made.

After a moment of silence, the man looked to an officer standing at the side of the cell wall, gave a sharp nod, and then looked at me expectedly.

I reacted, but not fast enough, and I didn't think there was anything I could have done. The officer pulled a switch on the outside of the cell, unseen to me.

And then - pain.

I screamed as it radiated up from the floor, creeping up into my toes and through my calfs, and then suddenly it hit me all at once and swallowed me, covering my skin with a white hotness. It crippled me, buckled my knees so I had no choice but to fall, heavily, to the floor, writhing in agony. I twisted, frantically trying to shove off bounds that I knew weren't there, enemies that I knew weren't physical. The screams left my throat even as I wasn't conscious I was making any sound at all.

Distantly I heard his voice, calling out, and though I tried to concentrate on it, on the sound of his voice, the pain overclouded everything. It was just too much.

And then, just as fast as it had started, it stopped. I heaved and gasped as an aftershock settled in over my skin, my heart thundering against my chest, my thoughts going a mile a minute. I curled into a fetal position to try to protect myself, though I knew it was futile. Distantly I could hear voices speaking lowly, but I couldn't make out words. I sucked in greedy breaths and then, suddenly, it began again.

A scream ripped through my whole body as my limbs convulsed and thrashed. It was worse the second time, searing and white hot, and it felt like I was on fire, and each twitch of a limb made it worse, made it burn, and no matter how much I tried to keep myself still, convinced the movement was making it worse, I couldn't help but try to force it away from me.

I heard the strength of Khan's voice then, shouting frantically over my screams. "Stop! Stop it, _please_!"

The shocks ended suddenly but the pain didn't. I ached and let out a moan of agony. I could taste blood on my tongue.

The room had become deathly silent. The only thing audible were my pathetic cries of pain, though I tried to swallow them. I rolled onto my stomach, pathetically, and pulled my arms into my chest as best I could, though every movement hurt.

The admiral's voice broke the horrid silence, and when it did, it was absolutely dripping with hate and fury. "Let me make one thing absolutely clear," he all but snarled, and I knew he was addressing Khan. "You _will _build me my weapons. You _will _design me my ships, or you will watch as I torture and kill every last member of your crew."

I squeezed my eyes closed as the gravity of the situation hit me. Khan was here and so was I, which meant the others were here too, somewhere. And this man, this admiral, whoever he was, we were his prisoners. We were at his mercy. I opened my eyes to see what I could, though my eyes ached, but through the glass I could see Khan looking in at me, a single tear trail on his fine, sharp cheekbone. It broke my heart to see him, my captain, always so strong and intimidating and powerful, shedding tears for me and my pain.

The admiral looked at me in my crumpled state on the cell floor, a hateful look written across his aged, lined face, and his voice was low and dripping with malice. "Starting with this one."

I wanted to curl my lip and sneer at him, spit at him through the glass, but even the simplest of expressions was impossible.

The admiral turned back to Khan. "Do I make myself clear?"

I knew that if Khan wasn't a prisoner, if I myself wasn't imprisoned at the mercy of electroshock torture, if there weren't guards at his back with phasers likely set to more than stun, he would have killed the man. He would have driven his thumbs into his eye sockets until his eyeballs squashed under the pressure, and twisted his head until his neck snapped. I knew it, I could see it written on my captain's face, like an unspoken but very solemn promise. "_Yes_."

The admiral took a step towards him, trying to intimidate him, I'm sure, but Khan was never one to be intimidated. He refused to cower under the man's gaze.

"Let me remind you," snarled the admiral, nearly spitting in his face. "You were condemned to die, all of you. I have no obligation to let you -any of you- live. But I shall so long as you build me what I want."

Khan heaved with fury, but nodded once, and I knew that was all the affirmation the admiral was going to get.

"Good," the admiral said, and turned to the guards. "Take him to the lab."

I watched them issue Khan away and he watched me as long as he could, his eyes wrought with worry and sadness and maybe a tinge of hopelessness. I wanted so much, more than anything, to go to him, hold him, both for protection and comfort. But as it was, I couldn't even pull myself into a sitting position. As he disappeared from my visage, I had the greatest urge to call out his name, make him come back so I could see him, assure myself that he was there. But he disappeared, and the admiral watched him go, and then turned on his heel and left without another word to anyone.

The remaining officers left the observation deck, following their admiral, and before the last one left, the light over me failed and the cell went dark again. I huddled my body together, trying to calm down my heart, trying to mentally soothe my bones and my limbs, trying to quiet the frantic thoughts inside my head.

What the _hell _was going on?!

**/**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Very special thanks to **Guntz, ZombieOnTheMoon, WrongRightBlackAndWhite, TheDeadAngel, HaruHaruxLove, Savysnape7, **and **Leafeather** for your reviews. :D

**Savagery**

**Chapter Two**

**/**

It seemed to take forever but I'd found my way into sitting up against the wall, pulling my knees up to my chest and letting the dark slowly seep away the pain in my body. My head thrashed with were we? What year was it? How long would I be left alone? Would I see Khan soon and have a chance to ask him what was going on? If this admiral had the others, where were they?

The lights came on quite a bit later. I was pulled from my thoughts and snapped to attention, listening as footsteps approached. I stood up to attention as best I could.

I held out hope that it was Khan, escorted by his guards but at least allowed to see me, but that hope extinguished when a woman in nurse's garb approached, followed closely by two officers. She carried a tray of instruments and set them on a table next to the cell wall. I watched her warily as she picked up a small instrument in her finely manicured hands and looked at me through the glass.

"I need to check your vitals," She told me in a rather blasé tone as she moved the glass expander towards me, centered it at about chest level and widened it. When her eyes met mine they didn't offer sympathy or understanding or anything. "We'll start with your blood pressure."

I didn't move; I glared at her through the glass, a real dark ugliness shadowing my mood. Check my vitals because her admiral used electroshock torture on me. I was tempted to stick my arm through the wall and grab her and break whatever bone I could get my hand on under the crush of my fingers.

I was unnerving her and I knew it; she held my gaze nervously and then looked away when I didn't comply. I could see her swallow almost fearfully. The officers standing behind her exchanged a look.

After a moment she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Please let me see your arm."

I narrowed my eyes to her. "I want to see my captain."

Her eyes were wide and questioning when she looked up at me, and then she stole a glance behind her at the two officers. They offered nothing, not a nod or shake of the head, not a simple change of expression to denote affirmation or refusal. I took in an angry breath through my nostrils, feeling the frustration rush through me.

She met my gaze once more, hesitantly. "_Please _let me see your arm, I need to check-"

"I'm not letting you see **shit**," I cut her off, raising my voice as she flinched and the officers behind her reacted. "Until I see my captain."

The room went very quiet, and I watched as the officers let their hands rest on their phasers in their holsters. The nurse squared her shoulders and leaned a little closer to the glass, as though she wanted what was said next to be just between the two of us.

"The sooner you let me check everything," she said in a guarded tone. "The sooner we can...consider your requests."

I glowered. They wouldn't consider anything. Why would they?

"Listen," piped in one of the officers behind the nurse, and she turned to look at him. "We can do this the easy way and you can let the nurse here take some tests, or we can do it the hard way. And _believe _me," he shook his head a little. "The admiral won't want to hear you've been giving us trouble."

I knew what he meant, more or less. Failure to cooperate would only result in further electroshock. It almost seemed worth it, just to stick it to the admiral, but he'd hold it against me, I knew he would. And I wanted to see Khan.

Sighing angrily, I stuck my arm through the hole, wrist up. The nurse considered me carefully but as I held my arm still, she proceeded to take my blood pressure. I watched the officers behind her; they'd taken their hands off their phasers and were just quietly observing. When she'd finished, the nurse considered me curiously, almost as though she couldn't quite believe the test results she'd gotten, but I only glared her down and from there she didn't seem too interested in asking questions or making inquiries. She set down the instrument and picked up another one with a vial. I made a fist and watched as she took a blood sample, resisting the urge to shake my head a little.

When the vial was full, she slowly removed the needle from my arm and regarded my sample with wide, intrigued eyes before turning and carefully laying it down on the tray, as though scared to drop it. I pulled my arm back through the wall expander and looked at the two officers, just watching. The nurse cast me a last anxious look before she picked up the tray and walked away from the cell, briskly, not looking back, and the officers weren't far behind her.

I was about to scream out and get their attention but I noticed they left the lights on, and I thought perhaps that meant they'd be back. Maybe they would bring Khan with them and allow us to speak, at last. I chewed on my bottom lip and started to pace the cell, however small it was, with my arms crossed over my chest, looking down at my bare feet on the plastic floor as I waited.

I hadn't been left alone long before I heard footsteps approaching the cell, fast and purposeful, and I looked up in time to see a man approach, followed by two officers. At first glance I knew that he was of some rank, given his sharp attire and the way he held himself, with great poise and esteem. His features suggested a kindly disposition that could easily turn nasty, and it put me on edge. His brown eyes were almost black as they settled on me, standing right in front of the cell. I paused the pacing and watched him.

"Lieutenant Commander Maya, is it?" he asked, his tone light considering I was a prisoner under his admiral who'd obviously sent him to deal with the newly-awakened Augment. "I am Teals, Commander under Admiral Marcus."

"Marcus." I repeated instantly, locking it in my mind so that I would always remember it.

Teals frowned. "Yes, and as I'm sure you've figured out by now, you've been awakened out of cryo sleep to..." his eyes darted elsewhere for a moment, as if considering his next words carefully. "...motivate your captain."

I let out a choked, unbelieving laugh. "Motivate?" The gallof this man. I felt my expression tighten. "You're _blackmailing _him."

Teals didn't seem interested in anything I had to say at all; he looked down at his shoes for a brief moment, as though inspecting their shine, and I felt the anger rise up in my belly. I wanted to slam my hand against the glass to make him look at me, pay attention to me.

"We have research from historical documents that determines the most effect methods to cause fatal damage to your Augment physicality," he said, his voice somewhat far away but very to-the-point. He looked up at me, regarding me very seriously. "So long as your captain cooperates, we will have little need to practice those methods."

I gritted my teeth. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"However," Teals continued, his eyes hard on me. "Should you cause my crew any trouble, any trouble at all, we will not hesitate to correct you."

I knew he meant it, too. My breathing started to pick up a little, though I willed myself to keep from heaving. I didn't want him to see me seethe; no doubt he was looking for a reaction to his subtle yet very real threats. I looked briefly to the officers standing behind him; I felt unnerved and cornered and the anger was hot on my skin.

"Where is your Admiral Marcus?" I asked, careful to keep the tone in my voice under control.

Teals sneered a little. "Admiral Marcus has no need to speak to you."

I swallowed tightly, and I found that once again I was pacing the cell. Teals watched me carefully, as though I were about to launch myself at the glass in an attempt to escape and strangle him, which I half considered. But the pacing helped. Moving helped; it kept the anger down. "I want to see my captain."

I saw Teals pull in a breath and let it out in a sigh, his eyes still watching me but annoyed, as if speaking to a child. "Mr. Harrison's time from here on in is limited to the laboratory-"

"Harrison?" I cut him off, my voice suddenly much louder and angrier than I meant it to be, and the officers behind Teals reacted. I took a step towards the glass. "Who is Harrison? I want to see Khan!"

Teals's eyes flashed. "Lieutenant Commander you _will _keep your tone civil when speaking to me."

I clamped my lips together tightly. Something told me that if I wasn't careful, I wouldn't be allowed to see Khan at all, and the chances seemed slim already. I stared Teals down but his eyes were unrelenting, full of power. Something told me not to try his patience; he would obviously act as a potential liaison between myself and Khan and I needed him generous...or as generous as the situation would allow.

I swallowed, willing myself to stay calm, and I squared my shoulders and stood tall to attention, as military as I could manage; I kept my tone civil, as he wished. "Please," I said, and watched him tilt his chin just slightly, his eyes smiling with an unsung victory. "I need to speak to him."

But once again, Teals seemed very uninterested in my request. He gestured slightly to the officers standing behind him. "These officers will take you to the showers," and his eyes settled on me once again. "You'll be given another change of clothes, and you'll be returned to this cell. I trust you understand that if you give them any trouble, there will be consequences."

With that, he turned and I saw that he meant to leave, and panic surged through me. I walked right towards the glass to catch him before he could disappear from my line of sight. "Commander, my captain-!"

"End of discussion, Lieutenant Commander." Teals said over his shoulder, not bothering to cast me a final look; he simply made his way out while the two armed officers remained behind, watching me.

I closed my eyes tightly as I listened to the door on the far side of the room open and close, the commander gone. I wanted to plant my fist right into the glass out of frustration but instead turned my back on the officers so they wouldn't see my agitation. I ran my hands over my face, resisting the urge to scrape my nails down over my forehead and cheeks. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt so aggravated.

/

But the shower helped.

When they woke me up, they'd more or less toweled me off, gotten rid of any excess cryo tube gunk out of my ears, my nostrils, my lips and eyes, but that was about the extent of it. My initial reaction to the shower was shock, as if my brain and body couldn't comprehend what exactly was happening, but then it melted into ecstasy.

I pressed my hands against the shower wall and let the water fall down over me and swallow me whole. They gave me shampoo to wash my hair, for which I was eternally grateful, though I would never voice it. The cryo tube made my hair stiff and irritating; it was a relief to clean it and feel it silky and smooth between my fingers as I rinsed.

I washed every inch of skin that I possibly could with the soap that had been provided and spent what I knew was awhile but only felt like a few minutes washing away lather and absolutely delighting in the feel of clean skin. I sighed heavily when they turned the shower off, both upset at its loss but grateful for it at all.

I dressed in the clothes they'd left for me: a very simple ensemble of blacks and grays that I knew was a custom of the admiral's crew but the style so obviously denounced that I was part of said crew. They'd all know when they saw me, _if _they'd see me, that I was a prisoner, the same way Khan was a prisoner.

Drying my hair took little time as it was cut fairly short, and when it seemed there was little else for me to do I stepped outside, only to come face to face with the officers Teals had escort me, the one holding bulky handcuffs.

"Wrists together," he commanded, and I complied, never taking my eyes off him. Once they'd been locked around my wrists, heavy and cold damned things that they were, the officer met my gaze. "Your captain has requested an audience with you."

The surprise lifted my glower and my eyes widened. At first I thought perhaps he was lying, but the no-nonsense of his gaze told me he was truthful. Though in the back of my head I was annoyed that I had asked several times to see Khan and each request had been disregarded, the chance to see him and just talk with him at last was almost overwhelming.

But the officer held out a finger. "You get five minutes, no more, no less, and then you go back to your cell. Understood?"

I nodded, and the officer turned to lead the way while the other one nodded for me to follow, which I did, while he trailed behind me. We walked in silence, the only sounds those of our footsteps, as we left the head and continued into the inner sanctum of the ship.

The whole place just screamed Starfleet; the halls were pristine and clean, the crew members well put-together and purposeful in their assorted duties. Those we passed dared a gaze at me, an up-close look at the Augment prisoner, and I could feel their eyes on me even though I didn't return a single look. My head buzzed with questions; I only had five minutes to speak with Khan, what would I ask him? What _could _I ask him?

We walked and weaved through the ship for what seemed like a long time before we finally came to a lift. As we stepped inside one of the officers swiped his card and let his fingertips be recognized on the reader. When all identity was affirmed, he selected the floor. Laboratory.

We descended, and that was when it more or less came over me. Marcus had Khan taken down to the laboratory, the officers were going to lead me right to him...there was only two of them.

I felt the one officer standing right off my shoulder while the other stood in front of me. I considered his height, his weight, deduced I could break his leg from behind, smash his face with the cuffs when he fell to his knees and knock him out with a chance to make my getaway. The officer behind me would be slightly more difficult, but nothing I couldn't handle. I was Augment, after all.

I pressed my eyes closed and considered the options. If I could get to Khan, they couldn't use me against him, couldn't torture me to get him to relent. If I could get to him, he'd have power again, if only a little. But the man only needed a little to do a lot.

It was risky and I knew it, but the voice that told me I would be killed if caught was drowned out over thoughts of getting to Khan and watching him take over, because I knew he could. He'd find a way, he'd find something to work with. He could take hostages, he could kill, he could do whatever he had to to negotiate a release.

My mind debated back in forth while the adrenaline rose up in my veins and my heart started to beat frantically. It was an invalid plan, but it could work. It would have to; we'd _make_ it work. We'd show them what happened when you dared to take Augments prisoner and use them against each other.

When the voice announced "Laboratory" in that oh so typical robotic voice, all reason and rationale had been vanquished from my mind, forced out by desperation and anger and hope.

Anchoring my foot, I planted my heel as hard as I could against the officer's ankle in front of me. I felt the snap under the pressure, heard his cry of pain, and locking my arms I stepped back to slam my elbow into the chin of the officer standing behind me. As he staggered back I kicked him square in the crotch and watched him fall to his knees. Turning to the officer with the broken ankle I smashed the handcuff across his face, wincing a little at the harsh sound of the contact, and turned to do the same to the officer behind me. Both collapsed into heaps, the one officer having pulled his taser but too slow to use it, and whether by the pain or sheer force of contact, they were both out cold.

I pressed the button to hold the door open and dropped to my knees to search - as best I could with my hands cuffed - the pockets of the officer who'd put the cuffs on me. But the key was found easily enough, the cuffs unlocked albeit with a bit of maneuvering, and when my wrists were free, I took the phaser and exited the lift, but not before hitting the emergency stop button to buy me some time. I knew maintenance crews would eventually come to see what was holding it up, but that would probably take longer than it would for someone to find two unconscious officers in a functional lift.

Swallowing over a lump in my throat, my heart pounding, blood pumping in my ears, I readjusted the setting on the phaser and took my first cautious steps down the hall that would lead me to the laboratory, and to Khan.

**/**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Very special thanks to **Savysnape7, Leafeather, Luna, Guest, **and **rodeogirl2393 **for your reviews.:D This chapter is short because it's filler, but the next one will be longer.

**Savagery **

**Chapter Three**

**/**

The halls were eerily quiet and all I could hear were my panting breaths and my thudding heart and the blood pounding in my ears, but I hurried along, light on my feet so as not to make a sound. The halls twisted and turned and went on and on, deep into the inner sanctum of the ship; the more I continued on, the more I expected to hear an emergency alarm ring out overtop of me to signify they knew of my escape. For a moment, fear had settled heavily into the bottom of my stomach and crept up along my spine. Had I made a grave mistake?

But then, as I turned the next corner, a stroke of luck.

Two crew members in white lab coats, a man and a woman, casually walked along deliberating over a clipboard. I quickened my steps, ran up behind them and just as they turned to look, I raised the phaser and fired once at the man. The impact sent him crashing up against the wall and he slid unceremoniously to the floor, unconscious. The young woman gasped, dropped the clipboard and didn't attempt to make a getaway before I was pointing the phaser directly between her wide, frightened eyes.

"Where is he?" I demanded, careful to keep my voice down but firm nevertheless.

She put up her hands and her lips shook, and though I could see she was trying to answer me, she couldn't.

The urgency crept up along the back of my neck; I tightened my grip on the phaser. "The Augment, where is he? They brought him down here hours ago, tell me where he is!"

But I could already see she wouldn't, couldn't, tell me; she was freezing up, no good under the pressure. I grabbed her arm, despite her shriek of fear, and twisting it behind her back, I forced her ahead of me and kept the phaser at the base of her spine. She shook so hard. "Please..." she whimpered. "Please...don't hurt me..."

"Don't giveme a reason to hurt you," I growled in her ear as I marched her down the hallway, keeping my grip tight on her arm. "Where is the Augment?"

"I-I don't know." She said, on the verge of tears.

I squeezed on her arm and she cried out softly. "Where did the admiral put him?"

"I'm telling you I don't know!" she said, insistently.

I growled low under my breath but kept her walking at a steady pace so that she wouldn't trip and fall. She kept the one arm up as if to show me she didn't mean to cause trouble.

"Commander Teals said something about his time being restricted to the lab, Marcus has him designing weapons," I took a breath. "Where would they have put him?"

Her only answer was a pathetic sob; luckily, I didn't need to press her for an answer any further. When we turned the next corner, the hall gave way into a wider, more open workspace with desks, computer equipment, and several other crew members in lab coats. In behind was a hall that broke off two ways. I knew Khan would be down one of them.

My captive made a squeak, perhaps as a way to get the attention of the lab workers, but it wasn't needed. The one lab worker with glasses dropped the coffee mug he'd been holding when he saw us. The sound of it shattering on the ground made my hostage jump in my hold.

"What the hell-!" He said, and the three of them all rose to attention, staring at me with wide, unbelieving stares. I watched the recognition etch on their faces; in one glance they knew who I was.

I raised the phaser and pressed it against my captive's temple, so they could all see, and the woman shook violently. I halted our steps and looked between the three of them. "Where is Khan?"

They didn't exchange looks the way I thought they might; instead they all took cautious steps towards us, their expressions alarmed and grave. The man with glasses, who'd dropped the coffee mug, put out a hand carefully and spoke in a calm, careful voice. "Let the doctor go, Augment."

I stared him down. "I know they brought him down here!" I pressed the phaser hard against the woman's temple and listened to her cry in fear. "Tell me where he is or I'll kill her!"

"You kill the doctor and you will be killed, Augment." He said imploringly, continuing to hold out his hand as if to calm me down. "_Think _about what you're doing here."

I felt a laugh tickle in my throat over the pounding of my heart. "What I'm doing? You woke us up to use us; I want answers and I want them from my captain!" I was shouting then, unable to keep the frustration from building up in my voice. "Now where is he?!"

All of a sudden, I heard running footsteps, and from the the one of the two hallways beyond the three lab workers, four security officers came running in; I took in the sight of them all at once and for a moment I felt my heart stop with fear, but I swallowed it down and willed it away. I had to stay strong.

The lab workers all stepped back as the officers halted in the middle of the room and pulled their phasers, holding them up high. "Release the doctor, Augment, or we drop you!" The one barked at me, his voice filling the small room.

I sneered at them, squeezing the woman's arm. "Tell me where he is or she dies!"

"There's four of us, Augment!" The officer said. "You hurt the doctor, we will kill you, and we have 72 more of you we can wake up!"

That gave me pause; I stared down the officer hard and listened to the woman's pathetic sobbing. The lab workers all stood and stared at me, wondering to see what I would do. I felt a surge of cold hard panic rush through me as I considered what the officer threatened, that they would kill me and then replace me. Another one of my crew members woken up to the harsh reality of being used against Khan. I understood then more than ever Khan's shock when he saw me for the first time. I thought about the look on his face if they had to wake up another one of our crew members.

I pressed my lips together tightly and looked between the officers and the lab workers, all looking at me too see what I would do.

And then, behind me, two more officers arrived. I could tell by the sound of the phasers being pulled and held up. I looked over my shoulder and saw them, standing a few feet behind me, staring me down, phasers aimed at my head.

I was trapped. I couldn't run. I couldn't fight my way through. I couldn't make the demands I wanted, not with one hostage. I couldn't do anything.

"Let her go..." said the lab worker with the glasses, imploringly.

I turned back towards the four officers and the three lab workers. I could feel tears pinching behind my eyes. "I want to see my captain!"

"There's no way, Augment," said the officer. "Unless you release the doctor."

"If I let her go," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "May I see him?"

The officer narrowed his eyes. I knew there was no way he would make any promises. "Release the doctor."

I sucked in an apprehensive breath. In the back of my head I was positive if I let her go, they would just kill me outright. But there was no way I was going to get the Khan by keeping her hostage; there were too many of them and they all had their sights locked on me. Silently I reprimanded myself for getting cornered so easily, for not thinking things through, for not taking the time to actually divulge a better plan. I pressed my eyes closed for a single moment, ashamed that I'd let desperation get the best of me.

In one move, I dropped the phaser and took a full step back from the doctor, putting up both my hands so they could see them. I watched her collapse to the ground, not even attempting to run or shield her tears, and the other lab workers standing nearby rushed to console her.

It was the last thing I saw before I felt something hard and heavy slam against the back of my head. Everything was black before I hit the floor.

**/**

My eyes stung when next I opened them, seeing only harsh white light glaring down overtop of me. I closed them again almost immediately and drew in a deep, unhappy breath. I wasn't in my cell, I could tell by the light, but I was definitely in another closed room.

It was better than death, I supposed.

I pressed my fingers to my temples as I sat up, slowly, trying to recall what had happened in the laboratory. The back of my head ached horribly and suddenly I remembered how I'd been slammed with the butt of a phaser. At least I thought it was a phaser.

I sighed with aggravation as I leaned over to place my head between my knees, trying to keep the pain from the back of my head from traveling. I took in a few slow, steady breaths and curled my arms against my stomach to keep my body steady.

It was then I realized I wasn't alone.

I turned my head just slightly and I could barely see a pair of feet in my peripheral vision. Whoever it was was silent as a statue, not bothering to make themselves known when I had obviously come back to consciousness. I sucked in a deep, alarmed breath as I rose my eyes, expecting to find a Starfleet officer, a nurse, maybe Teals himself, waiting until I was awake so they could inflict the harshest, cruelest punishment they could for my attempt to infiltrate the laboratory.

But as I took in the figure my heart seemed to stop; a man, tall and formidable, dark clothing accentuating his strong, finely physiqued form, his jet black hair combed and cut to perfection. I blinked to make sure he was actually there; he stood with his back to me, facing the wall, his arms folded behind his back.

I couldn't help the sound of disbelief that left my lips.

Khan.

I'd know it was him even if I was blind.

I meant to stand and address him formally; prisoners or not, he was still captain and I was still his lieutenant commander. But there was little need all of a sudden.

Khan turned his head then and looked down at me over his shoulder. Once more I was met with his gaze, his eyes impossibly blue under the glare of the harsh artificial light; they glittered for a split moment with recognition and then became hard.

I felt all my senses go on edge. I sat upright, about to stand to my feet to speak with him formally, before he turned towards me fully, squaring his shoulders, towering over me like the formidable captain I knew all too well and staring me down with his intense, fearless gaze.

I stood up then on shaky feet, trying to hide my momentary weakness from my captain. I paralleled my body with his, met his gaze (however hesitantly, with blood throbbing in my ears and my heart pounding) and I nodded my chin, remembering my rank and his. "Captain."

Khan's eyes remained hard and unrelenting on me, his nostrils flared, and his perfectly defined lips were turned down at the corners in a deep-set frown. For a moment I felt like taking a step back, putting distance between us, but then he spoke, his incredibly deep, smooth and beautiful voice laced with anger.

"What were you _thinking_?"

/


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to our lovely birthday boy. X) Thank you guys for your reviews **aandm20, CynthiaSylar, wee-story-writer, Savysnape7, dietrich2234, Lady Krystalyn, mackenziejen **and **todrownandburn **:D Enjoy the update.

**Savagery**

**Chapter Four**

**/**

The question hit me like a slap to the face. I searched his features, thinking maybe the situation would obligate him to give me a touch of leniency, but I could see it as clear as if he told me: he was _furious _with me. I sucked in a breath through my nose while my head frantically sought an explanation, an answer to his question, but the anger in his glare froze me in my stead. Khan had never been angry with me before, never; that was not to say I had never seen him angry, of course I had, which would have alarmed me at the time, but later I knew I could take some comfort in knowing I had not given him reason to be angry, ever.

But now I had. And I didn't know what to do.

His eyes were steely and unrelenting, and when I couldn't offer him an answer to his question, he tilted his chin just a little and those eyes narrowed to me, nailing me to the spot. "Did you honestly think you could escape a Starfleet ship all by yourself?"

His voice was laced with withheld fury and I resisted the urge to flinch at the severity of it. I swallowed, suddenly feeling cornered and sheepish, but I kept my head up and held his gaze. "I wasn't trying to escape," I said, trying to keep my voice strong. "I was trying to find you-"

"And in your weakened condition it was _**foolish**_, Lieutenant Commander." He cut me off, silencing me.

I kept my eyes on his until his hard, unimpressed stare bore me down and I looked away, the shame flushing through my veins knowing I had disappointed him. "Yes sir."

A very tense, uncomfortable silence settled there between us and not once did he take his eyes off me; without looking at him I knew all too well the glare in his expression that ebbed of power, that I'd seen intimidate people time and time again. His anger was palpable in the air and I almost wished I was in my holding cell and he was in observation, with the thick observation glass separating us.

I listened as he drew in a tense, deep breath through his nostrils and let it out slowly. "You of all people should know better than to go blindly charging around enemy territory, unchartered grounds," his voice grew louder, though I could tell he was trying not to start flat-out yelling at me. "You had no idea where I was or where you were, for that matter!"

The more I listened, the more I realized how stupid it was, and it _was _stupid. It had been just a flurry of thoughts and emotions, from panic to anger and desperation, knowing that we were prisoners, that we would be separated, that we couldn't even try to make sense of what was happening together.

But I didn't say a word. Our situation was dire, my captain was furious; I couldn't make excuses. It would help nothing.

After a moment of silence, Khan dropped his chin and turned his back on me, and only then did I feel comfortable enough to gaze up, met only with his immense stature and the back of his head. I'd forgotten how tall he was, at least a head taller than me, and I felt small and humbled with the shame that washed over me all over again, sad that I'd let him down and done something so foolish that put our lives in danger.

Here the joyful reunion that I had so anxiously hoped for and dared an escape for was nothing but a hard scolding, one that I knew I deserved, but it didn't make it any less horrible. I stared at the back of his head for a few moments, wondering when he would speak again, _if _he would speak again, and what he would say. But when he said nothing, I lowered my gaze again.

The low hum of the ship accentuated the tense silence between us; I couldn't hear him breathing but I could feel his energy radiating off his form. My head pounded and I wanted to sit down but I knew I had to stay standing; I knew there must have been more he wanted to say. When I heard him take in a shaky breath, I finally looked up at him once more.

"They nearly killed you, Maya," he said, and his voice was softer, not as angry, more upset than anything, and it had been the first time in so long, _so _long that he'd said my name and with it came the real gravity of the situation. I felt tears pinch behind my eyes, memories of the electroshock and what Commander Teals said about "correction" coming back to me in full force. I swallowed to keep the tears back but then Khan looked at me over his shoulder, his expression wrought with upset. "They would have if I had not..."

His voice trailed out, and shaking my head a little I took an imploring step towards him. "I'm sorry, captain. I wasn't thinking."

His eyes glowed and for a moment we just looked at each other, remembering the last time we'd seen each other, before the sleep. We were wanted criminals; we thought if we disappeared long enough, if we slipped into cryogenic sleep for a long enough time, we could come back when things had calmed down, when the universe would accept us - love us, even - for our genetically engineered DNA that gave us talents and strengths beyond those of mere humans. A time when things would be different.

Khan pressed his lips together and looked down at his feet. I thought for a moment that he was about to cry, and the thought both terrified me and endured me to him further. I'd never seen him so emotional.

And then, quite suddenly, he pivoted his body, took a step towards me, reached out and grabbed my forearm.

I could only react with shock when I felt his hand on me, though all instincts were telling me to remember my training and go into defense. But I found I could do nothing but stare at him in said shock as he pulled me right into him. I collided against his solid form as his other arm wrapped around my shoulders and held me close.

I froze as he released me and let the other arm fold around me. He held me tight against him in an embrace, and for a moment I panicked, not sure what to do. Hesitantly I raised my arms and carefully let my hands rest above his hips. I had never hugged him before, I would never have dreamed of it. We'd never had physical contact, not even a handshake when I was assigned to his ship so many years ago. He was always so professional, and throughout the years that I worked under him as Lieutenant Commander, I'd never once dared to approach him with anything less than that matched professionalism.

The embrace was strange...but warranted...and needed.

I curled my fingers against his shirt, closed my eyes and let my forehead rest against his collarbone. His body was warm and I could feel his toned, hard physique under his clothes, a true soldier. I pressed my nose against him and took in a breath, smelling him, and despite the fact I knew they had dressed him when they woke him up and the clothes were not his own, he smelled like our ship. Your typical starship: plastic, wires, piping, but the smell of spices from the kitchens, the fresh smell of the sheets we slept in, soap that we washed with, a scent that hung in the air of our ship and gave us a feel of home.

In that moment I realized we were as close to home as we might ever be again, that _he _was as close to home as I might ever be again.

I slipped my arms around him fully and hugged him as tightly as I could and felt him return the favor, pressing his cheek against my hair while I struggled not to cry. Somewhere around us, or beneath us, our crew slept in their cryogenic pods, blissfully ignorant of the pain we shared in that moment.

"I don't know how they deciphered the sequencing codes," he breathed in my ear, his usual smooth, steady voice rocked with emotion. "I didn't think they could wake anyone."

It struck me as odd that they had figured it out, but we didn't know how long we'd been here in our cryotubes. For all we knew, we'd been asleep in this Starfleet base for weeks, maybe months before they figured out the codes. The thought was very unsettling.

"What are we going to do?" I whispered into his chest, and felt him heave with a great sigh. He released me then, slowly, the pads of his fingers tracing me as they left me, as though hesitant to let me go, and the feel of the stronghold that was his embrace lingered on my shoulders and I felt vulnerable without it. He stood close, as if hesitant to put space behind us now that we were finally reunited; I looked up at him, into his big green-blue eyes, once again full of seriousness.

"I don't know," he told me, flat out. "This...Admiral Marcus wants me to design him weapons for some unforeseeable war. If I don't..."

He trailed out and I nodded to let him know I understood. Fear reawakened in the back of my mind as I remembered Marcus's threat, that I would die if he didn't cooperate, that another crew member would be awakened after my death to continue the blackmail.

Khan let out a heavy sigh and dropped his eyes, shaking his head just a little. "He woke me and told me what he wanted. Initially I refused but then he told me he would make me do it. I didn't think he could wake anyone else up..."

I resisted the urge to let my hand rest against his arm. "It's okay, captain."

Suddenly I heard the doorknob rattle and we both turned towards it; it was being unlocked. I swallowed tightly; I knew only too well who was coming to see us. Khan turned and looked over his shoulder just as Commander Teals allowed himself inside the small room with a serious look on his face that just ached to turn into a cheeky little _I told you so_ smile. I watched him come to a standstill just inside the room, his usual accompanying officers coming in behind him, and his big black eyes settled on me.

"My my, Lieutenant Commander," he said in a tone that was near mocking, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips just. "An escape attempt. And a doctor taken hostage. Here I thought I had made the conditions for your well-being relatively clear."

I knew there was no point in telling him that I wasn't trying to escape; I pressed my lips together in an effort to keep my mouth shut and prevent further trouble. The look in his eyes was very unsettling, and I felt the need to raise my defenses, only I didn't have to. Khan turned and squared his body to Teals, shielding me, putting himself between us; it made me feel safer, but only marginally. Though I knew Khan would fight before letting anything happen to me, and that he was a powerful fighter, I couldn't deny Teals was making me very nervous. There was a crazy look in his eyes.

And then Khan spoke up, breaking the silence that was starting to frighten me. "Commander Teals," he said, sharply but respectively all at once, and Teals turned his attention away from me to listen. "Tell your Admiral Marcus I wish to negotiate my lieutenant commander's occupation."

The tiniest bit of wicked glee that Teals kept concealed was gone in an instant, replaced by a grim, impatient frown and a glare to match. "Mr. Harrison," he said smoothly. "Her occupation aboard this ship is non-negotiable-"

"Your admiral wants superior weaponry and starships," Khan interrupted, his voice the same as ever I remembered it: overpowering, domineering, deep and powerful. "Maya is one of the finest engineers of my crew, her expertise will only enhance my designs."

I looked up at the back of Khan's head, questionably; I was _not _one of the finest engineers in our crew and the lie made my heart drop into my stomach, though I knew if anyone could pull it off, it would be him. The notion of being able to work with Khan and at least be as close to him as our situation would allow was much more comforting than the idea of being locked in a cell at all hours of the day. I looked back at Teals and watched his reaction.

That same tiny smile threatened his lips as he processed the information given. His eyes turned to me and he tilted his chin, as though he were very interested in this new information. "Is that so."

I was careful not to take too deep a breath, not to swallow, not to break eye contact, not to glance at Khan, as I gave in to the lie. "...It is."

The look on Teals' face suggested that he knew we were lying but wasn't quite able to prove it; could he have proven it? "Well," he mused. "Of 72 sleeping Augments, we just so happen to wake your finest engineer," his gaze gravitated towards Khan. "What are the odds."

I kept my eyes on Teals and knew that Khan said nothing and did nothing but the very same.

Then he placed his arms behind his back and stepped aside. One of the officers was holding another pair of those big, bulking handcuffs. "Come along, Mr. Harrison," Teals said in a dull tone, as if bored. "We agreed 10 minutes and 10 minutes are up."

I swallowed fearfully, and before I could stop myself, I reached forward and grasped Khan's forearm with my hand. He looked down at me over his shoulder, sensing my distress, and I looked up at him, unable to keep the fear out of my voice. "Captain-"

His immense eyes were soft when they met mine and I knew that he understood my concern. His lips tightened and he turned his attention back to Teals. "I want your word that you'll leave Maya unharmed."

I looked at Teals, who only rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation, as though he was tired to adhering to Khan's demands. He shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. "Mr. Harrison-"

"You cannot blame her for trying to escape," Khan said, cutting him off efficiently. "The situation your admiral has put us in has made her scared and vulnerable."

Teals turned his dark gaze to me. "Not the words I would have used."

"Regardless," Khan said, calmly, and I watched him lower his chin, the way he did when he needed to intimidate or reason with someone. "I need her by my side; the best thing we can do for your admiral is work together."

Teals took in a deep breath and then sighed heavily, as if very bored with the conversation. He looked between us, and gauging by the upset look on my face or the seriousness of Khan's, he pressed his lips together interestedly, and shrugged a little. "...Well, if there's anything to be said for moral support..." he trailed out, and then nodded towards the guards. "But for the time being, Mr. Harrison."

Though he clearly hesitated for a moment, I watched Khan step forward and hold his wrists out in front of him; it was a very distressing thing to watch, my powerful captain immobilized and treated like a prisoner. As they tightened the cuffs on him, I took a wary step forward, scared to let him out of my sight; I knew he would protect me against anything, but not if he wasn't in the room. "Khan-"

He turned his eyes to me, and they were so calm and lovely that I actually felt reassured, for a brief blessed moment, that everything was going to be okay. He watched me as long as he could, the tiniest of reassuring smiles on his lips, as if to tell me he was going to make things right, that I didn't have anything to worry about.

But he was gone and with him went all the hope in me that everything _would _be okay. I was left alone with Teals and the upset was starting to flush through my system and nothing felt alright, nothing at all.

Two more officers came inside and stood with Teals, who then turned his attention on me. I looked to him and was surprised to notice, for the first time really, that without the thick observation glass separating us, he was barely taller than myself, and about the same size. I could have taken him down, if I wanted; if the opportune moment ever came along.

A strange little smile graced his lips. "I'll have you know Admiral Marcus sent me down here to execute you in front of your captain."

I froze as I took in the information, shocked that he would say such a thing so bluntly to my face. My hands balled into fists so that my arms wouldn't shake; I kept my mouth shut, knowing that he had let Khan leave and so obviously this was no longer the plan.

Teals tilted his head to the side just slightly and his eyes flitted over my form. "But we'll see how he feels about this new...development," he then turned to the officers standing behind him. "Take her back up to her cell. Take special precautions when using the lift." And then, Teals looked at me and nodded his head just slightly, ever so gentlemanly, giving me a farewell smile. "Lieutenant Commander."

And he was gone.

I watched the door to make sure he was really gone, and then I looked between the two officers, waiting for one of them to pull a gun and aim it at my head. It didn't seem beyond Teals to threaten me and not follow through with it. But as I regarded the two officers, both armed with phasers, they simply stood there nonchalantly, and the one produced a similar pair of bulky handcuffs they'd taken Khan away in.

I sucked in a deep breath and took a step forward, offering my wrists and keeping my eyes down as they secured the cuffs on me. I had to trust that they weren't going to kill me; I figured what Teals had said was likely true, that if Marcus wanted me dead, he would have had it done in front of Khan, to dissuade him from disobeying his demands.

They marched me along the halls, the officer behind me with the gun to my head at all times, reminiscent of what I'd done to the officers in the lift. The further we walked away from the little interrogation room, the calmer my heart became and the quieter my thoughts.

I held out hope that Admiral Marcus would buy Khan's claims and that I would be permitted to work with him in the lab; I didn't know how much I could offer in terms of my supposed engineering "expertise" but I could at least bullshit my way through, enough to stay alive and stay close to Khan.

For the time being, that was all I could hope for.

/


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Very special thanks to **dietrich2234, aandm20, stinkysox, CynthiaSylar, Savysnape7, Lady Krystalyn, OtherLifeofELMO, Guest, BOOMSHAKADAA,** **Mist, **and **Larl22 **for your reviews!

Since **STID** doesn't really discuss the alternate possibilities of the Eugenics War, I'm pretty much sticking to the plot line of the old series, just so you know.

**Savagery**

**Chapter Five**

**/**

The risks and results of the Eugenics War put me on the crew of the _SS Botany Bay_ as one of two operations managers; at that point, I'd only known of Khan by name and reputation. He was legendary, and I hadn't thought I would ever have a chance to see him up close and personal more than a handful of times, given that the Botany's crew was of 73 Augments. As luck would have it, my training put me on the bridge under Captain Khan's direct command.

The circumstances of our assembly on the Botany were not protocol, nor were they of any happy or joyful instance. We'd lost so many of our loved ones and comrades; we'd been labeled war criminals; we'd be killed if we ever returned to Earth. The mentality on board the Botany, during the first days of our maiden voyage, was sullen and dark; I myself barely said a word to anyone.

But I had felt some level of excitement when I was brought onto the bridge and introduced to Khan for the very first time. It was easy to spot him even in a room full of Augments; the man ebbed leadership and order. Everything in his countenance, from his towering stature to his orderly disposition to the way he seemed to know everything about you with just a look, was a clear sign of real power. And with the name he had made for himself during the Eugenics War, naturally, when I was introduced to him, I felt quite starstruck but remained ever respectful.

When I was introduced to him, he acknowledged me with little more than a stately nod and unflinching eye contact, and I responded in kind; to be entirely truthful, I was scared to say anything to him, really, as I anticipated the mortification that would have accompanied anything foolish I (most definitely) might have said. Besides, at the time, there was very little use for small talk, and even less use for introductions and why we were aboard the Botany. That came later, when we were far enough away from Earth that we could breathe once more.

The embrace we shared hung heavy on my mind as I was left alone for two days in my cell with only my memories and my thoughts. As the time passed, I began to wonder if that was the last time I would see my captain, if the embrace we shared was less a comfort between crew-mates and more an unprecedented goodbye. No word had come from Admiral Marcus as to whether or not I may be permitted to work with Khan in the laboratory. Not even Teals had come by to stand before me with his sinister smile and condescending riddles. They brought me mediocre meals twice times a day and they took my vitals. Other than that, I was not spoken to, I was not looked at, and I had become fairly certain that Khan's plan to include me in his work for Admiral Marcus had been considered and disregarded.

And so I was to be kept alive as motive, as was the initial plan, it seemed. But I meditated, and the silence and solitude helped me concentrate on repairing my physical and mental wellbeing. The electroshock torture had done far more damage than I had initially perceived.

The sound of the door opening in the little white room broke my concentration and drew my attention to the intruder: a man came inside, a doctor, judging by the long white lab coat, as though he had come from the laboratory himself. I considered him carefully; he was older, probably a senior doctor given how he was unaccompanied by officers; he had a very kindly disposition. He came inside and closed the door behind him but didn't presume to be seated.

"Good morning, lieutenant commander," he greeted, looking directly at me and tipping his head, smiling ever so delicately. "You're looking much better. I'm glad to hear your vitals are improving so steadily."

I frowned and simply watched him, not sure what it was he wanted me to say or do. Involuntarily, I felt my hands flex in my lap, bound by the cuffs as they were.

Slowly he sat himself down at the table in front of me and set down a folder in front of him but careful to keep it on his side of the table. "My name is Dr. Morrow, I'm here to ask you a couple of questions," he held out a hand imploringly, right as my frown tightened into a scowl. "Standard procedure after an extended period of cryogenic suspended animation."

I squared my body to him, staring him down. "Three days after being woken up?"

The man looked down at his hands in front of him sheepishly before gazing up with that same delicate smile. "It would have come sooner if not for your..." he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Escape attempt."

I resisted the urge to sigh heavily and roll my eyes; all would have been interpreted as non-verbal admission of guilt, I was sure. But this Dr. Morrow seemed unperturbed of it altogether and simply held out his arms by way of invitation. "But here we are, so let's begin, shall we?"

Feeling irritable as I was, I had no interest or incentive in answering questions, but it seemed likely that a psychological evaluation was mandate of Admiral Marcus if he wanted me to work in the lab around his crew, especially given how I'd taken one hostage. So, I nodded to him, looking at the folder he'd brought with him. "Very well."

Smiling grandly, Dr. Morrow slid the folder towards him and opened it; he took a pen from his pocket and scanned the information in front of him, typed just a little too small for me to make out from where I was. I watched him take the pen in hand and skim the information. "I see they ran some basic cognitive tests when they first woke you up; the results of which look good, by the way, considering how long you were asleep..." That time I _did _roll my eyes, and whether he saw or didn't, he didn't comment, he simply continued. "But you'll find these questions a bit more personal. Your rank?"

"Lieutenant Commander under Captain Khan Noonien Sighn."

"What was name of the vessel?"

I flexed my fingers. "The _SS Botany Bay._"

"And what was your occupation aboard the Botany Bay?"

Remembering Khan's lie and the reason I was still alive, I withheld the truth -operations managers, one of two aboard the Botany- and gave him the answer he was looking to hear. "Chief engineer."

Indeed, it seemed what he was expecting to hear, and I found it curious then that they were able to wake us up and get our names, but not seem to know anything else. As Dr. Morrow reviewed his information, I found my curiosity getting the best of me. "Were you not able to retrieve this information from the cryotubes?"

When he rose his eyes to look at me, the look he gave me suggested that not only could they _not _retrieve that information, but they had tried and tried before giving up. "The sequencing codes were quite cryptic," he told me truthfully, and I knew they were. "All we have are your names and rank, but little else."

I nodded, while withholding a sigh of relief, and suddenly I thought of the other 72 names they decoded, 72 ranked Augments still sound asleep in their tubes somewhere on the ship. "Dr. Morrow?"

He looked up at me, eyebrows piqued in interest.

"The rest of my crew, are they..." I was afraid to hear the answer.

But he rose a hand as though to put my mind at ease. "They're safe, I assure you."

Once again the relief flushed through me but I was careful not to show it. I nodded in thanks, and in return he gave me that same gentle smile, before referring back to his files. "Do you remember where you were when the decision to go into cryosleep was made?"

"Yes," I nodded; it was what we thought was, at the time, the edge of the universe. "We were orbiting Proteus."

He nodded, and I hoped he wouldn't ask for the coordinates. "Very good..." he muttered, quickly getting something down before returning his gaze to me. "And how long after the Eugenic Wars and your departure from Earth was the decision to go into cryogenic sleep made?"

I took in a breath, hesitant to be specific. "Years."

Dr. Morrow nodded, as though he was anticipating the vagueness in my answer. "Marital status?"

I blinked at him, not sure I'd heard him correctly. What on earth did that have to do with anything? "I beg your pardon?"

He looked up at me then, and I saw in his eyes that it was a simple request of information; he wasn't meaning to be nothing malicious or crude about it. "Your marital status, lieutenant commander, before the Eugenic Wars. Attached, unattached-"

"Unattached." I said, trying not to think of the many members of the Botany's crew who lost spouses on Earth during the Eugenic Wars. I myself had not been married and for many reasons I was grateful, but it didn't ease the pain accompanying the knowledge of so many lost loves, so many broken hearts. The question seemed insensitive and unnecessary.

If Dr. Morrow picked up on my disgust, he didn't show it at all. "Children?"

I scowled. "No."

He nodded and wrote a note, and then reviewed what had been asked and what he'd written down. When it seemed he was satisfied with what was recorded, he gave me a kind smile. "Well, I think I have all I need. It's good to see your vitals are improving so steadily. How are you feeling?"

In all honesty, I could have laughed. With a fleeting look around the little interrogation room, half the size of my cell, I sighed heavily. "Caged."

He nodded, as though he understood perfectly. "Well, it's only temporary."

As much as I wanted to ask what he meant by that, I was hesitant to hear his answer, knowing perfectly well what my options were. Dr. Morrow looked like he was going to elaborate, but before he could, the door opened and two officers came inside and stood to attention. I felt my nose wrinkle; time to go back to my cell, it seemed. Dr. Morrow greeted them with a stately nod and then turned to me, smiling. "Well, looks like they're ready to take you back upstairs," he closed the folder and stood up from the table. "Thank you for your cooperation, lieutenant commander."

"Dr. Morrow," I stopped him, and he turned to me before he could leave with an imploring look on his face. "How long am I to wait?"

It seemed he knew exactly what I was talking about because I saw the look in his eyes shift a little. He picked up the folder from the table and hooked it under his arm, giving me a last gentle smile. "It won't be long, I promise you. Commander Teals will inform you personally when a decision is made."

I took in an exasperated breath that I didn't bother hiding; Dr. Morrow smirked a little. "Well, take care, lieutenant commander."

"And you." I offered in farewell, and watched him let himself out.

/

I was returned to my cell but miraculously I was not made to wait as long as I had anticipated. Shortly after breakfast the next morning, I was alerted by the sound of the observation deck opening, followed by several pairs of footsteps. I was not surprised to see Teals approach, followed by his usual entourage of officers. I felt my stomach knot uncomfortably as he came into view, considering what he'd said after my reunion with Khan.

Teals looked to me and I watched as his eyebrows piqued quite dramatically as we met eyes, almost as if he'd forgotten what I looked like. When they stopped in front of the glass and I stood to attention, I noticed a small smile threaten his lips.

"My my," he said, his tone uplifted and even impressed. "You have your colour back. You're looking quite well, in fact."

I squared my shoulders to him and gave him my full attention but didn't say a word; the blood worked wonders, I knew.

"Admiral Marcus will be pleased to hear it," Teals said, as though I had replied, as though he had been imagining my appropriate response in his head. "Two fully functioning Augments."

I felt my breath catch in my chest, trying not to let the hope seep into my features and alter my expression. I tipped my chin just slightly. "I take it then you spoke to your admiral in regards to my occupation aboard the ship?"

The commander's delighted banter was immediately replaced with seriousness. "Yes, as a matter of fact..." he folded his hands behind him and began his ever characteristic slow pace with his head down. I watched him carefully. "Admiral Marcus finds the prospect of two Augments working on a singular project quite promising. Provided of course..." he looked at me, his eyes narrowing. "We do not have a repeat of your earlier escapade."

I looked away from him briefly, remembering my pathetic attempt to escape custody and find Khan in the laboratory. I kept myself quiet, waiting to be spoken to; I knew it was what he wanted.

"You'll be moved to the lower decks closer to the laboratory, and you'll be assigned to assist Mr. Harrison in whatever way you can."

I waited for the conditions of the deal because I knew they were coming.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you that this arrangement depends on your cooperation and behaviour. Mr. Harrison has been nothing but compliant since he was awakened, it would suit your needs to follow his example."

I withheld the urge to smile. Khan was compliant now because he was waiting, biding his time and preparing for the perfect time to strike. I would do the same, following his example. I merely nodded in agreement. "I understand."

Teals tilted his head to the side slightly, as if suspicious of my answer. He considered me curiously as I simply watched him. "We'll be moving you tomorrow, provided your vitals stay this course of recovery."

No need to worry, then.

With that, and nothing else to say or report, he nodded, and turned his back on me to leave, his officers following suit. In the back of my head it occurred to me to stop him and thank him for making the obvious arrangements, but I stopped myself. I would never thank any of them for the position they put us in.

/

True to his word, however, the officers came in the morning after the meal to escort me down to the lab. I complied without question when they put me in the bulky handcuffs and walked me through the ship. It was the same route taken the day I had made my escape, though Teals had sent four guards this time as if to ensure it wouldn't happen again. I remained perfectly still in the lift, as I could feel them watching me, and I marched along and kept my head up as we stepped off the lift and went past the area where I had taken the doctor hostage, ignoring the unbelieving looks I was getting from the other lab workers as we walked past.

The laboratory itself was immense; white-paneled and immaculately clean, large enough to be a hangar. A few crew mates in lab coats were scattered here and there, working at desks or screens, looking at clipboards in their hands, speaking to each other lowly.

Finally we approached a glassed-in room, probably for conferencing, and I saw Khan standing inside over the table, and I could tell by the concentration etched in his eyes and face that he was deliberating over something. I felt relief and happiness in seeing him flood my entire being. The guards stopped me, took off the handcuffs, and I was allowed inside.

Khan looked up at me as I came in, the fluorescent light making his eyes appear startlingly large and green, and I eased a small smile before I realized he was not alone. Indeed, he was being supervised...by the very doctor I had taken hostage days ago. She sat in the corner, and as I came in, her brown eyes went wide with realization and fear. I stared back at her in kind.

"Dr. Howard," came Khan's voice, interrupting the mortified silence in the air, and as if it had broken a trance, she looked over at him. "I wonder if you might give me a moment alone with my lieutenant commander."

It struck me then that she had likely been supervising him since he agreed to Marcus's terms; he had built something of a rapport with her, strategic I'm sure, but tenuous nonetheless. She obviously considered his request but her eyes flickered between the two of us, uncertain. "Uh..." she trailed out, nervously. "I'm not sure if-"

"Just a moment, if you could, Dr. Howard." he interrupted, albeit gently.

After a moment of contemplation, she stood up and side stepped around me to let herself out of the room. I watched her go, giving Khan a lingering look. "Only a moment, Mr. Harrison."

He nodded once to let her know he understood, and then she left, closing the door behind her but I could see her through the glass, not letting us out of her sight.

I turned to Khan, just as he rounded the corner of the table to approach me. His dazzling eyes bore into me. "Harrison?"

"An alias." he explained in a bored tone of voice.

I nodded, and tearing my eyes away from his, I considered what he had been deliberating over when I had come in and interrupted. He was drawing, using the computer to help build blueprints, and I approached the table and set my hands flat on the surface, leaning over to take in what he was working on, but it all looked like lines and scribbles to me. I felt somewhat defeated; I really was not going to be of any help to him in his plans and constructions. Unless the lab workers were intensely stupid, they would see the truth eventually. The whole plan was ludicrous.

But then I felt Khan's presence behind me and felt his hand settle on mine, as if to give me some reassurance, and indeed it did. I knew the captain of a ship had to stay strong and keep his head, even in the toughest of situations; we had felt some measure of defeat in the first days since leaving Earth, but Khan had been there to keep us strong, to remind us of our duties, to keep us efficient. I looked up at him and was met by the calming effect of his deep eyes and the slightest smile of reassurance on his lips, and I felt better. I felt reassured we could pull it off.

His hand pulled away from mine and he circled the table, looking down at the blueprints; I watched him, carefully. His body language told me he was on guard, which made me think that we were being surveyed secretly. Given the technology of the ship, it wouldn't surprise me if they were listening and watching us at every given second.

"Admiral Marcus has requested vessels and weapons specifically, with a keen interest in long range weapons," he told me, and I looked down at the blueprints as he tapped away at the computer and brought up a completely new set of blueprints. I could make them out a little better, I could see the shape of a torpedo.

"These," Khan said, pointing at them. "are the main focus of the long range weapons. Photon torpedos. The prototypes will consist of elliptical casing armed with a photon warhead and detonation chamber. Photon tubes will measure at exactly 6 foot five inches. 75 prototypes will be constructed."

It was all jargon to me and I knew he was saying it to put on a show for those listening to us...but the numbers piqued my interest. Exactly 6'5, 75 prototypes...

I looked up at him, and in that instant he rose his eyes to meet mine. Though he didn't say a word, the look in his eyes was telling, and the severity in his expression warned me not to give anything away with an expression or with my voice. Though I felt my heart begin to beat a little quicker, and though I wanted to smile grandly, I kept it all withheld. I knew Khan wanted to smile, wanted to assure me that what I was thinking was true. But he didn't have to. 6'5, the exact length of our cryotubes. 75 prototypes, enough for our crew members but a typical number to prevent suspicion.

We were going to find the crew, and we were going to escape.

Behind me the door opened and closed. Dr. Howard lingered back, having noticed our intense debriefing, and cleared her throat nervously to let her know I was there. "All caught up then?"

And then, all hesitation aside, with his glimmering eyes still on mine, Khan graced me with the smallest most comforting smile I had ever received. I was only too thrilled to return it.

**/**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Very special thanks to **UniversalIndicator, Talk With Your Hands, aandm20, lavaxlamp, lux, Sam, casper6six6**, and **Zelda Zonkk** for your reviews! :D

**Savagery**

**Chapter Six**

**/**

The arrangement had us under strict observation; I was moved to a different holding cell, allowing for easier transport to and from the laboratory. We were escorted in and out, separately; the only time we were permitted to see each other was in the lab during our work, always supervised. It had been breathed by someone that productivity and progress in our work would be rewarded perhaps with private time, so we could speak; I didn't hold out hope.

But there was a 30 second window each morning wherein I would be escorted to the laboratory and see Khan inside, diligently starting the day's work, seemingly oblivious to the sights and sounds of the ship around him, though I know he listened to whatever he could for any information that might prove useful. I really cherished those moments in the morning because he rarely rose his eyes to see me approach, handcuffed and guarded, and it reminded me so much of the days aboard the Botany when I would happen to look up from the current matter at hand and find him in the middle of a thought, quiet as he always was, but his face frozen in an expression halfway between contemplating and reminiscing. Reminiscing and sorrow for the days gone past, for the time on Earth we would likely never see again, looking for somewhere and some way to regain our place in the universe, rekindle any identity we had so much pride in that the rest of the universe scorned and hated.

And so watching Khan in that 30 second window in the morning took me right back to the Botany, back to the familiar sight and feel of the bridge, the usual sounds, the rest of the crew around us. Given that we couldn't speak without being surveilled, openly or secretly, I was grateful for those early morning moments.

And, interestingly enough, after a few days in my new position as "chief Augment engineer" working beside my esteemed captain, it became abhorrently obvious that Dr. Howard was infatuated with Khan. At first I found it amusing, that wherever he went, however he moved, her brown eyes followed, agleam and intent, but she was careful not to smile, and she refused to her eyes shimmer with attraction or admiration. Whenever she sat, she was turned towards him, her legs crossed, hands cradling the monitor pad on her lap, fully focused on him, on the movement of his hands, the firm, unyielding of his drawings, the hardened look of concentration on his face, in his eyes, and on his mouth.

When I first noticed it, it seemed to me to be a morbid curiosity and nothing more, until I beheld a soft defeated look on her face when I came into the room and Khan would greet me with his gaze, a soft smile, and Dr. Howard's jealousy confirmed that he paid her little to no heed; acknowledged her presence, yes, but not as he acknowledged me.

It would have made me laugh if it were not so utterly pathetic.

It particularly caught my attention when one day I came into the room to find Khan standing at the blueprints screen as he usually was, though his form was rigid and upon his brow was a particular contemplative look, his mouth firm in a line that was not yet, but soon to be, a deep frown, as if he were puzzled. As I came inside, Dr. Howard turned her attention from him to me, as she always did, but her attention was drawn right back to him when he spoke quite suddenly.

"Maya," he said, and without looking at me or giving any implication that he'd seen me come in at all, rose a hand to beckon me closer. "I've made revisions to the warhead, if you would tell me your thoughts."

Instead of going to the opposite end of the table, as I would on a usual day, I followed his incentive and instead went to stand by his side, his fingers lightly brushing my arm and then falling to his side once I was standing beside him. Though my eyes sought out what he was talking about, I could feel the look Dr. Howard was giving us from the corner, the scorn she was surely giving me, for being the object of his very direct attention, and probably too that he had touched me, albeit fleeting and not at all intimate. Not really.

The three of us were alone in the room maybe a minute or two before one of the lab assistants opened the door and, after losing his voice for a split second when both Khan and I looked up, annoyed at the intrusion, apologized quickly and asked if Dr. Howard might lend them her input for a moment. She seemed only too eager to get up and leave us behind.

"Do you see what I see?" I asked Khan, watching Dr. Howard speak to her colleague who had pulled her out of the room.

"Of course," Khan said, pen in hand. "It is nothing if not blatant."

"Suppose we could use it to advantage?" I asked, careful to keep my words as neutral as possible.

Khan stiffened next to me, and when I looked up at him, I was graced with a firm glare but a tight-lipped mouth that begged to break into a smile. "I certainly hope you're not insinuating anything, lieutenant commander."

"Insinuating, captain? No," I spied Dr. Howard through the glass, observing her delicate frame. "Merely suggesting."

Khan made an unhappy sound in his throat, halfway between a groan and a sigh. He returned to his blueprints. "I very much doubt she'd be privy to any information that could prove useful," he looked me square in the eye. "Laboratory."

I shrugged. "It is not impossible."

We quieted as Dr. Howard excused herself from her colleague and allowed herself back into the room, her eyes on me as she came in and she could not hide the distaste from her features at seeing Khan and I so close together, though I know she tried. She returned to her post in her corner and I rounded the table appropriately, eying Khan, knowing full well he'd never entertain the idea of wooing Dr. Howard for information.

Dr. Howard all but despised me and I could hardly blame her for it; whenever Khan spoke to me or asked me to look over the new notes he'd made, or approached me in any manner, she would snap her lips into a thin line and her eyes would harden. But whenever I turned my gaze to her to stare her on fully, I could see the fear seep into her features like the day I'd taken her hostage, as if she relived it every night in her dreams only to wake up and have to face me in the morning for the day, all day. I delighted in her fear and didn't fault her for it, nor did I fault her her jealously and supposed hatred, but if she was going to prove useful in any shape or form, I would have to be the one to befriend her and gain whatever trust she could give me, if she could give me any at all.

One morning, Khan began explaining the latest additions he'd made to the blueprint of the torpedo in a tone that insinuated he was looking for approval. I stood at his side, our shoulders nearly touching, keeping my eyes trained on the pen in his hand and the lines he made on the screen before us in red to differentiate from the blue of the previously drawn lines. It was complete jargon to me, but I pretended as best I could, knowing that in the corner, Dr. Howard was watching us intently with her arms crossed over her chest; I could just see the hardened glare on her face, given how Khan and I stood so close to each other, and though I was tempted to smile just a little, I refrained.

And then there was a knock on the door, interrupting the entire process. I rose my eyes to see Dr. Morrow allow himself in, and found myself surprised to see him.

"Good morning Dr. Howard," he nodded and smiled to each of us, and though no one responded, he hardly seemed to notice. He turned his gaze towards Khan. "Mr. Harrison, I wonder if I might borrow you for a moment? It's been three months since your reanimation, we would like to run a few basic tests."

I looked up at Khan standing beside me, expecting to see his face wrought with irritation, but instead he was completely neutral, his mouth slack and his eyes almost brimming with curiosity. "Of course," he answered, and set down the pen he'd been drawing with on the table, stepping around me but not before setting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Continue as you see fit, lieutenant commander." He told me over his shoulder as he walked past, his bright eyes smiling when he lips did nothing, a complete play to our scheme of bullshit. He left the room and closed the door behind him, and I was unable to take my eyes off him as he went, fighting to keep back a smile.

Dead silence settled in the room between Dr. Howard and I as I picked up the pen he'd been using and pretended to deliberate over Khan's plans, while she in the corner pretended to look over her monitor pad in a ploy to keep her eyes from meeting mine. I stared down at Khan's plans and made few notes where I could, not used to the pen that magically drew where you wrote with a perfect flow of colour that was not ink. We'd been asleep a very long time, too long, it seemed; the rest of the world had moved on without us. When we'd left Earth, we were the prime specimens; we were waiting for some possible way for the rest of humanity to catch up with us. And now, in this unfamiliar future, it was our turn to catch up with the rest of the world.

I spied Dr. Howard, but she was so intent on not looking at me that she shifted rather uncomfortable when she knew I was looking at her. I didn't think Khan was right about her not knowing what we needed to know to find the crew. I was convinced she could bring us whatever we needed to do whatever was necessary. It would just take a little convincing.

I cleared my throat and watched, but she didn't rise to the bait. She kept her eyes down, her hands grasping the monitor pad tightly, as though to keep her arms from shaking. I looked out the glass into the rest of the laboratory; lab workers were busily going about their jobs, wearing the same lab coats, carrying the same monitor pads. Khan was nowhere to be seen.

Turning to Dr. Howard once more, I cleared my throat, a little louder this time, and though she blinked hurriedly, she continued to keep her gaze down.

"I'm sorry," I told her, keeping my voice low and apologetic.

With that, her eyes snapped up and she regarded me with a shocked expression. It would have made me laugh were I not playing a role. I eased her the tiniest, meekest smile I could.

"For what?" she asked, her voice high and fluttery.

"For..." I trailed out, and pretended to be sheepish, looking down at my hands. "For holding a phaser to your head," and I looked her square in the eye, keeping my expression as soft as possible. "For taking you hostage."

Dr. Howard stared at me as though she'd never seen me before, and I knew she had never anticipated many words from me at all on basis of conversation, let alone an apology. Her lips moved as though she meant to say something, but mostly she just stared at me, her eyes wide, not sure how to respond, not sure what to do at all, really.

Once again I looked down at my hands, pretending to be shy. "The moment I was in that cell and saw my captain..." I couldn't help but let a little emotion into my voice at that, remembering that horrible day, watching the look in his eyes as he was made to stand and see me electroshocked. I had wanted nothing more at that moment than to go to him, to his protection, knowing that he would tear the ship apart and kill every person onboard for doing what they'd done to me. I sighed heavily and shook my head. "All I wanted was to get him back."

I watched as a gentle kind of understanding seeped into her features, softening her eyes. Given her infatuation with Khan, I knew she would understand, or at least _try _to understand. It was almost too easy.

I allowed a little emotion into my voice to plant the final seed. "I can't tell you what it's like to wake up knowing you're a prisoner, all alone on a strange ship...but what's harder is knowing that _he's_ awake too, and that you'll be separated from him."

A deep sadness fell on her lips and she looked down at her lap as though she were seriously putting herself in my shoes and considering things from my point of view. We were silent as I halted my words to listen to a voice laughing in the back of my head.

And then, as if right on cue, the door opened and Khan came inside. When I looked up at him, he had a look of great disdain on his face and rolled his eyes as the door shut behind him. Knowing that Dr. Howard's gaze was flickering between the two of us, I was tempted to smile grandly and go to him, wrap my arms around him and have him return the embrace, however confused he might have been, just to solidify my sob story.

But I didn't have to; he held his gaze with mine for a long moment, as though trying to communicate his displeasure with the crew so mystified by the fact we could recover from the sleep so quickly and effectively. I eased just a little smile, to show him I understood, but more importantly to show Dr. Howard, silently watching from the corner, that I meant (nearly) every word I told her.

**/**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Thank you **aandm20, SAM, Savysnape7, casper6six6, Lady Krystalyn, Zelda Zonkk, Pint sized She-Bear, BlackHeartedCrow, MulishaMaiden, Kovy-Closet Romantic, Guest, Guest **and **smart-blonde-the-oxymoron** for your reviews! Enjoy the update! :D

**Savagery**

**Chapter Seven**

**/**

A month had passed since my reanimation, and we had settled nicely into our routine; compared to our time on the Botany, life was simple, passing days in the lab making blueprints, but we had come to enjoy it, supervised as we were. Dr. Howard no longer made (obvious) moon eyes at Khan or glowered at me, but instead watched the two of us carefully, sometimes with just a hint of a smile on her lips; I noticed the change in her right away, after our "heart to heart", as it were. If Khan noticed the difference in her (which I was sure he had), he said not a word about it.

Halfway through the morning one day, we were drawing and discussing and redrawing, when the door opened and Commander Teals came inside fluidly, while his entourage remained outside the door. At the sudden intrusion, Khan and I halted our drawing and fell silent while Dr. Howard gasped a little and leapt to her feet. "Commander Teals."

"Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Howard," he said in a dull tone of voice, and he looked to us with an expectant gleam in his black eyes. "Mr. Harrison, Lieutenant Commander, please stand to attention. Admiral Marcus is on his way."

I felt a sudden, hot flash of fury rip through me at the mention of the man's name, and the idea that he was coming to stand in our presence made me ball my hands into fists. The man hadn't been seen since the day he electroshocked me and threatened Khan with my life and the lives of our crew-mates, and we'd been only too content in his absence.

Over the blood pounding in my ears, I heard Dr. Howard squeak. "Admiral Marcus? He's coming here?"

Teals looked as though he was about to roll his eyes at her. "Progress report, his idea entirely, I assure you," he then turned his gaze to Khan and I and a mean little smile toyed at his lips. "He wants to see what our prestigious new crew-mates have been up to."

I stared back at him, not moving a muscle, not daring to curl my lip or wrinkle my nose or show any hint of my complete displeasure; I refused to give him the satisfaction.

And then, not a moment later, we could see Admiral Marcus through the glass, coming in through the laboratory the same way they brought me in, on the far side of the room, and he approached swiftly, completely ignoring the laboratory workers who stopped to salute. I took in the sight of him as much as I could, at his form and distinctive walk that alluded to leadership and dominance, to the harsh lines on his mean, expressionless face from years of service, to the cold blue eyes, so piercing and lifeless and exasperated. As soon as he came into the room I sucked in a deep breath, remembering how the bastard had looked at me through the glass the first time I saw Khan after being awakened, how he'd threatened to kill me if Khan didn't agree to his terms, as if I were a caged animal on display, ready to be disposed of whenever he saw fit.

Seeing the bastard so close and accessible as he was, I wanted to lash forward and kill him with my bare hands, right then and there. I would have been delighted to throw him through the plane glass and pound his face into the floor with my fists.

But then, just as my arm started to shake, Khan adjusted his stature so that he was standing closer to me, and I felt him wrap his hand around my wrist, very gently, his fingertips caressing my skin for a split moment before stilling and simply holding me. I knew why he did it: to ease the shaking in my arm, to calm my anger, to let me know that we were in this together, no matter what happened.

Marcus greeted Teals with a stately nod, and he turned his attention to Dr. Howard. "You'll excuse us please, doctor."

Dr. Howard nodded and let herself out of the room as quickly as she could go, and Teals closed the door behind her. We were left alone, the two of us in the room with Marcus and Teals while Teals's guards stood outside.

Marcus finally turned his full attention on us, his gaze settling on me for a split second as though he didn't quite remember where I'd come from but then again didn't care all that much; he seemed far more interested in Khan. He folded his hands behind his back and nodded to him. "Progress."

At my side, Khan was a pillar of stone, as cool as I'd ever seen him, and though this visit was completely candid, he actually seemed as though he had prepared for this presentation. "We have a rough layout for a long-range torpedo."

Marcus looked between us, like he'd believe it when he saw it. He nodded his head. "Show me."

Khan pressed a few buttons on the desktop, and the lights suddenly dimmed all around us as the blueprints materialized in front of us, hovering above the desktop, illuminated in the blue Khan was so fond of drawing with. I watched in awe, having never quite seen anything like it before, but then remembered to keep my expression as neutral as possible; Marcus was definitely there for the progress report, but I had a feeling Teals was there to watch for anything suspicious.

Khan pressed a few more buttons, and the photon torpedo blueprint slowly spun, showing off all visible components. "Class 12 photon torpedoes; complete with warhead, detonation control panel, an ample fuel container, these torpedoes are undetectable to sensors, operating at 323 degrees celsius with an explosive yield of 320 isotons and explosive range of 300 thousand kilometers."

I could help but smile a little as I looked upon the plans and listened to Khan give his presentation; even if I had only an inkling of how these torpedoes were made and the damage that they could really do, I knew these were sure to impress the admiral.

Marcus stared as though he didn't know what to make of the plan, and then he pressed a button on the desktop himself. The blueprints disappeared, the lights came back on; the admiral had a less than impressed look on his face. "Two Augments," he said, looking between us, and suddenly I felt very apprehensive. "Two Augments, and this is all you have after a month of work?"

I felt the little triumphant smile fall off my face; Marcus was dead serious, he was really not impressed at all at what we had to show him. I swallowed tightly and looked up at Khan at my side; he didn't return my gaze but instead kept it hard and still on Admiral Marcus. "You requested prototypes of long-range weapons-"

"_Eventually_," Marcus sneered, and set a fingertip down on the desktop in a declarative manner. "I specifically told you that priorities lie on the planning and construction of an automated combat vessel-"

"-The likes of which your federation has no discernible use for." Khan interrupted, his voice steady and smooth, but I could detect the slight irritation laced within his tone.

The admiral's eyes widened just a bit, and the frown on his mouth was hard and furious. "You've been asleep for a long time so let me enlighten you to the universe we face today," his voice was stern and orderly, and he rose himself up as if preparing to tell a long, complicated segment of the history of the universe. "A year ago, the planet Vulcan was destroyed in its entirety, its inhabitants wiped out. We are living in an age where weapons of absolute devastation are not only a concept, but a reality. With technological warfare like the kind that destroyed Vulcan, what comes next, and at the hands of whom?"

I listened carefully; the news of the destruction of an entire planet came as a definite surprise and instantly I wondered who in the universe felt Vulcan had to be wiped from existence.

"With the defense systems we now possess," Marcus continued. "Starfleet cannot even hope to defend against its enemies with these weapons and that is why I need _you_."

I could feel the deep-set frown settle on my face as I pieced his reasoning together. It was true, we'd been genetically engineered in matters of weaponry and stratagem, but primarily to act as peacemakers during wartime. But was the admiral anticipating full-on war, or was he simply being paranoid?

"Who exactly are these enemies?" I asked, and his eyes flashed as they settled on me as though he'd not given me permission to speak and it irritated him. At his side, Teals was watching me with a suspicious look on his face.

Marcus studied me intently, and for a moment it looked as though he were about to open his lips and name names, but then reconsidered. "Whoever may pose a threat to our way of life, Lieutenant Commander."

I knew I should have kept quiet and not spoken out, but I couldn't stop myself. "And so you would have us create your weapons, your cavalry, to attempt to make peace during a war you have no idea will actually come to pass-"

"If it means militarizing Starfleet in order to protect Earth and her inhabitants then I will _make _it come to pass." Marcus said, dead serious.

I felt a very real chill roll up my spine in that moment, staring down the man who was absolutely fearless, unrelenting; I knew right then and there that he would easily do away with an entire race of species if they posed a threat to him, to his rank and stance.

"And you," he turned his gaze to Khan. "All of you were labelled war criminals, condemned to death when you fled Earth; consider a time where you may be seen as heroes for your efforts."

I felt my breath leave me suddenly.

Marcus looked between us. "I can make it so. _You _can make it so."

I couldn't believe my ears.

Flashes of my first day awake streamed through my head, my first memories of Admiral Marcus, waking Khan and blackmailing him with the lives of his crew. And obviously, when Khan had called his bluff, he woke me, and tortured me, to prove a point. Marcus had threatened us; he admitted that he was under no obligation to allow us to live. I knew from the way he spoke to Khan and the way he sneered down at me in my physical weakness, I knew, I knew _exactly _what he thought of us, of all the Augments, and there was no way - no way in the entire universe that he would allow us to take credit for our creations during a time at war...

...Unless of course something went wrong.

I tore my gaze away from him and refused to look upon him again. I was afraid that if I did, I would be tempted to do something very, very rash.

Beside me, Khan was silent, and silence had settled between all of us in the room for a few moments before Marcus sighed heavily. He stood to attention. "I want the plans for my starship ready for presentation in three weeks, Mr. Harrison."

Khan didn't move a muscle, didn't make a sound. He simply said: "Noted."

And then, without another moment to spare, Marcus stomped out of the room, and though I didn't look up to see them, I knew that Teals followed close behind. The door was shut and we were left alone for the first time in so long, and when I finally did look up, I could see Marcus walking towards the entrance from whence he came. Behind him, Teals and his entourage followed.

The room went deathly quiet, and Khan left my side to round the desktop; when I looked up at him, he had a defeated look on his face and looked down at the desktop dismally, planting his hands flat on the top, as if he'd been excited to show off his work only to be dejected for favouring quality over quantity. I felt as he looked, mortified by what I'd heard; I ran my hands up along my face and through my hair, taking in a deep breath to calm myself down.

"What do we do?" I asked, my vice barely a hushed whisper; Khan looked up, and his eyes were so green it was as if he were glaring through venom. I saw, only too clearly, that he was just as upset as I was, but he stayed cool and calm. "How do we stop him?"

"We don't." Khan said, very, _very _seriously.

I stared at him, thinking I must have misheard him, but I hadn't; I heard him perfectly.

In the years I served under him as lieutenant commander, I never, ever, ever questioned him; not his actions, nor his motives, and not his reasoning. No one did, for no one dared argue with his rationale, his rank, and risk his temper or the harsh glare of his eyes. He was our leader and we followed, that was the way it was.

But I could feel my mortified expression harden into a frown. I couldn't agree with him on this. And Khan seemed to have anticipated my response. "We continue our plans," he said. "We do as he asks. We do not ask questions."

"And become his scapegoat when an entire race is extinguished at the hand of Starfleet?" I said before I could stop myself.

Khan lowered his gaze as though ashamed to look me in the eye and admit defeat. "We have no other choice-"

"That man," I said, pointing to where I'd seen Marcus disappear from the laboratory. "is a sociopath!" My voice sounded harsher than I meant it to be; I never would have spoken to Khan in such a way in a million years, but I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Khan raised his eyes and his expression warned me to watch myself, but I simply couldn't. "They labelled us war criminals before we left Earth and when the time comes he will have the whole universe know we were responsible and he will _butcher_ us, feed us to the masses-"

"He could have butchered us when he discovered the Botany but he didn't," Khan said, his voice sharp and domineering, and he squared his shoulders the way I'd seen him do when he dealt with confrontation; not so much a defense mechanism, but more a gesture of strength and resolve. "And he still could, given the right incentive."

I watched his eyes and expression soften considerably, and he turned away from me as though he didn't want me to see. "We refuse his orders and they will die, all of them," there was no masking the emotion in his voice. "Their lives are in our hands and I refuse to put them in danger over a game of chance."

I stared at his stately profile and I understood the pain in his reasoning; how many Augments had died in the Eugenic Wars was difficult to determine, but we both knew the numbers were catastrophic. He had to have had some measure of great defeat, no matter how hard he tried to keep it hidden from us; leaving Earth and going into exile and then sleep was the best thing for us, he knew that, but here we were in danger once more and there was nothing he could do, no measure of power that could save us.

"Even if we save them, we condemn them to die," I said before I could stop myself. "How can we be sure they're alive at all?"

Khan turned his shoulder to me, a gesture which told me he was getting increasingly frustrated with me. "They woke _you _from cryosleep-"

"Knowing that he'd only need one of us to keep you in line," Again, before I could stop myself. "But the others-"

And then he turned on me.

"Maya, **stop**," his voice, sharp and loud, startled me so much that it silenced me. His eyes were positively flashing green with anger and for a moment I felt inclined to step back and put space between us, simply on instinct, but I fought to hold my ground.

He lowered his gaze and took in a deep breath, obviously upset that he'd had to raise his voice and reprimand me. When he spoke again, his voice was as calm and level as could be. "Listen to me. We continue _our_ plans, we do what he asks. There is nothing more we can do."

Silence settled between us, and as I kept my eyes locked with his, I watched as his expression began to soften; his frown and eyebrows lifted and the intense green of his furious eyes cool into a gentle, calm blue. I had never been immune to his striking beauty, and in that moment I became more aware of it than ever; the brightness of the lights illuminated his eyes, his sharp cheekbones, his fair skin, the pink of his lovely-shaped lips, the contours of his finely toned body beneath his clothes. The endearing look he gave me begged me to trust him, believe in him the way I always had, without question, without apprehension, trust in his leadership and his intellect and his incentive to keep us safe, each and every one of us, but it was difficult; the gravity of the situation was too real and too strong. We would continue on with our plan to smuggle the crew out within the prototypes of the photon torpedoes, but in the meantime we'd be building the butcher's starship, on the way to sealing our fates and driving the two of us apart when we needed each other the most.

We stared at each other, engulfed in silence, and then not a moment later, the door opened.

"Well..." Dr. Howard chirped, allowing herself in, and when I looked over at her, she had a very strange little smile on her face. "How did it go?"

I saw the open door and didn't even hesitate; casting a last fleeting look at Khan, I rounded the table and went towards the door, steering clear past Dr. Howard, who jumped to the side to let me pass. I went out into the laboratory, where all eyes were suddenly on me, and at my back I imagined Khan was advising Dr. Howard not to follow and let me be.

/


End file.
